Charleston church shooting suspect's lawyers seek to waive jury trial

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Attorneys for the man accused in the shooting deaths of nine parishioners at a South Carolina church have filed notice that they want to forgo a jury trial and have the judge hearing the death-penalty case decide their client's fate.

The court document shows that attorneys for Dylann Roof filed the notice Thursday in U.S. District Court. In the filing, lead defense attorney David Bruck acknowledges that federal prosecutors have said they will not consent to waive the jury.

The 22-year-old Roof faces federal charges including hate crimes in connection to the shootings, which took place June 17 during a Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. The trial is scheduled to begin on Nov. 7.

Roof faces nine counts of murder in a state trial set to begin in January.